Mystery
by artist-in-the-tardis
Summary: Response to NightClan Forum Challenge P.S. This is a sequel to my first Warriors fanfiction, Shadowpelt. Keep that in mind...


Mystery padded silently through the forest, dropping into a hunter's crouch as she scented a plump mouse. She tensed all the bones in her body, just as her father had taught her, and pounced. The mouse squiggled and squeaked under her talons, but with one sweep of her paw, it moved no more. She quietly thanked Starclan for the little thing and wolfed it down. It was as good as ever, but one mouse wouldn't get a cat through leaf-bare. Mystery knew that, especially for a thin cat like herself, catching daily prey was essential to survival.

_This is the way of life, _she reminded herself. _Starclan gives us food, and if we have the skills to catch it, we eat. _

She noticed the sun sinking down over the Tallrocks, and quickened her pace. If she were to reach her den before night, she would have to hurry.

She slipped through the reeds of her den just in time. A thick patch of reeds covered her den safely, and it was extremely nice. Inside was a hollowed-out den of dirt and rock, with soft leaves layered on the floor. Her nest, a little cozy mishmash of leaf litter, soft bark, and moss, sat in a corner, waiting for her. She turned and curled up in it, feeling her tired eyes begin to close. She drifted off to sleep.

The next day, Mystery padded out of her den, feeling vaguely hungry. Big surprise there. She quickly caught a water vole, devoured it, and kept on hunting until sunhigh. Full for the first time in moons, she settled in a clearing to groom herself. She was in the middle of it when an unfamiliar scent flowed toward her. She sprang up with vigor, unsheathed her claws, and looked around. Her black pelt shining, she waited there until she started to feel a bit foolish. Maybe it was nothing.

Then the fox leaped through the brush.

It landed squarely on her, and, noticing that it had fresh-kill here, raised a paw to strike. Quick as lightning, Mystery sprang up and raked her claws down its back. It yelped in pain and gave her a blow to the head so hard that it sent stars shooting through her vision. She raced around it and leaped on it from behind, holding on for dear life and digging her claws in. Growling, the fox grabbed her in its mouth, shook her, slammed her against a tree, and leapt, a tad frightened, into the bushes. Mystery, bleeding and unconscious, lay there.

She awoke in the midst of yowling cats. Her battered body felt better, but all the meows were giving her a headache. She slowly sat up, feeling like crowfood.

Suddenly, the fighting and yowling stopped, and all eyes were on her. She got to her paws uncomfortably and first breathed in the scent. It was the scent of many cats, with a tang of stream salt in the air. She mewed, "What am I doing here?"

Every cat there was silent, except for one. A strong blue tom stepped forward and said, "We are Streamclan. A patrol found you lying on the clearing floor, badly injured. Some warriors wanted to leave you, but others… disagreed." He shot an angry glance at a young ginger she-cat, who stared at her paws as if they were the most interesting thing happening.

"T- thank you for taking me in," stammered Mystery. "I am just a loner. I was passing by when a fox leapt out at me. I tried to fight it, but it was too strong."

She caught several of the older, battle-scarred warriors nodding in agreement.

"Very well. I am Wavestar," said the blue tom. "I lead Streamclan. And you are?"

"Mystery."

Wavestar's green eyes glinted with humor. "That you certainly are." Then he turned to his clan. "She will stay, for now!" he yowled. There were muttered mews of discontent, but Mystery felt rather happy.

That night, as once again the sun sank over Tallrocks, Mystery padded over to her temporary den, a small hollow in a sloping rock by the entrance of camp. She was forbidden to sleep in the warrior or even apprentice den, as was implied by the angry hisses when she tried to enter.

She was just settling down when a yowl of, "All cats old enough to hunt their own prey, gather in front of Hightree for a Clan meeting!"

Mystery padded out, curious. Wavestar spotted her and flicked his tail for her to come. She purred deep in her throat and trotted over to the Hightree.

Wavestar leaped up on the highest branch in Hightree and yowled again. All the warrior and apprentices turned to him.

"I have called you here tonight to discuss a new… guest."

All eyes turned to Mystery, the moonlight reflecting off their pelts. She shivered and tried to meet their gazes with as cool a glare as she could muster.

"Mystery is a loner. We found her in the woods, badly wounded. We took her in. Mystery, was that the right decision?"

"Y- yes," she stammered nervously, sheathing and unsheathing her claws.

Angry mutters rose from the cats surrounding her. A tabby queen hissed, "She'll hurt the kits!" A young ash-colored warrior growled, "She can't be trusted!"

Wavestar narrowed his eyes in annoyance, and, with one flick of his long tail, silenced the Clan.

"Mystery," he began, "is a strange cat. We don't know where she's come from-''

A pale tom yowled, "No one even knows who she _is_!"

"I do," came a beautiful voice laden with sadness. Mystery turned to find a battle-scarred she-cat padding out of the warriors' den. "I know who she is," the warrior repeated slowly. "She's my daughter."

"Lilyflight, what is this?" asked Wavestar, but deafening hisses of the gathered cats drowned out his voice. Lilyflight ignored them and padded up to Mystery. She daintily sniffed her, than she nodded. "You smell like Shadowpelt. You look like him, too," she said quietly.

"Shadowpelt was my father. He- he died of greencough last leaf-bare," whispered Mystery, and then the full pain of her father's death hit her. He had been coughing and feverish the last half-moon, then he was gone. Dawn the medicine cat could do nothing about it. Her brother and sisters had left soon after. Mystery turned away, overwhelmed by all of it.

Lilyflight gasped, "We need to be alone."

"You heard her!" yowled Wavestar, "Go back to your dens."

With angry muttering, the Streamclan cats obeyed. Wavestar himself turned and went into his den, but glowing green eyes revealed he was not sleeping.

"Shadowpelt- dead?" asked Lilyflight, eyes wide. Mystery nodded, looking at the she-cat sadly.

"What of our kits? Your littermates?" she whispered, as if afraid to know the answer. Mystery kneaded the ground with her paws. "They ran off soon after," she said, unhappy to be telling the truth.

Lilyflight was silent for a moment, then stepped forward and rubbed against Mystery strongly. Mystery purred and licked her mother's shoulder. They curled up there, in the middle of camp, and slept the rest of the night.


End file.
